00:00105 with them Bouncy Traits,
00:01still back to your poppin' R&B.
00:02It's your boy Showtime, the czar.
00:04In studio with me right now, special guest, Rising.
00:09I'ma let her describe her music sound
00:11because I don't want to put a label on it
00:12because I heard so many different styles of music.
00:15But her name is Latoya Couture.
00:16Welcome to the show.
00:17Yes, hi, how are you?
00:19Black, blessed, and fly, how are you?
00:21I cannot complain, I highly favored, yes.
00:24That's what's up.
00:25All right, so before we get into all your music
00:28and things of that nature and your style of music,
00:31because like I said,
00:32when I listen to the music that you sent me,
00:36two different styles of music,
00:38but we'll get into that just a little bit later.
00:40Talk about how you got into music,
00:42how long you been singing, your background,
00:44give me a little bit of all of that.
00:45Well, I've been singing since I was six.
00:47I started writing music.
00:48I really didn't know that I really wanted
00:50to be in music like that then,
00:52but I kind of just floated into it.
00:55My mom passed when I was six also,
00:58so I think that kind of made that emotion come out
01:03for me to be able to write the lyrics.
01:06I've been in the studio really probably since about 2010,
01:11and that's really when I got serious,
01:13and it's when I've been doing it ever since.
01:152010?
01:16Yes.
01:17Okay, what made you decide, okay,
01:20at this point this was the time I needed
01:22to start taking it serious?
01:23Well, I was around a lot of people,
01:25when I say people like rappers, that said,
01:28come on, so you need to come to the studio,
01:30come to the studio because I can sing.
01:33Got you.
01:33I started going to Nickel Slick.
01:36He's a producer in Detroit,
01:37and from there I just started writing music,
01:42getting the experience of being inside of the studio,
01:44and then I ventured on to just different groups
01:48like Self-Employed, 4th of Entertainment,
01:52and now I'm an independent artist.
01:54What made you decide to go independent
01:56versus being in the group?
01:58Well, I think it was more so like my style of music.
02:04I'm not really in one genre.
02:06Oh, I'm glad you brought that up.
02:07Now let's talk about that.
02:10You have a unique style, the song Closer.
02:14Yes.
02:15That song is different than your song Guitar.
02:19Guitar is more neo-soul, if you will.
02:21Closer is more like a pop, if you will.
02:25How would you describe it?
02:26I would say pop if we had to put it in a genre.
02:29Okay, okay.
02:29How are you able to, first of all,
02:32how are you able to switch between genres?
02:35Is that difficult for you?
02:36No, I really don't write by the type of music.
02:41I write by the energy.
02:43So I can hear something, and I have the chorus right then,
02:46and then I'm writing the song.
02:48If I feel it, that's a song, no matter what the beat is.
02:53Does that ever get difficult for you
02:54for playing in between genres like that?
02:56Because most people want to be labeled as R&B artists.
02:59This is why I didn't label you anything, because it's so...
03:01Actually, it's like a curse and a blessing, in a sense,
03:04if you look at it like that.
03:06The blessing part of it is, then that means that someone
03:09and everyone will have some part of my album.
03:12So it's always something on there for everybody.
03:14So that's what I like.
03:16I love it.
03:16If you had to describe it,
03:18how would you describe your style?
03:20I would say neo-soul.
03:21Got you.
03:22Definitely neo-soul.
03:23Because I literally write that way.
03:25I'm very poetic, and that's really where that is.
03:28But I might sing it a little blues.
03:31I might sing it a little jazzy, on a rap beat.
03:34You know, so it just depends on what I feel
03:37when I hear the actual.
03:39Who are some of your musical influences growing up?
03:42Oh my goodness.
03:43I grew up on the blues, so like Bobby Blue Bland.
03:47My grandmother raised me, so I was into all of that.
03:50Whitney Houston.
03:50I would say Erykah Badu.
03:55I love her.
03:57Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill.
03:58I definitely grew up on her.
04:00So definitely, those are my inspirations.
04:02You spoke about neo-soul.
04:04You don't really hear too many neo-soul artists nowadays.
04:07And one of my personal favorite neo-soul artists
04:10is Music Soul Child.
04:11Oh, I love it.
04:12Yeah, music is fire.
04:13Yes.
04:14Why do you think neo-soul kind of disappeared
04:16from music today?
04:18Or do you feel like it disappeared from music today?
04:20I think it disappeared.
04:21I know that everything has its time.
04:23Got you.
04:24So when everything comes back around in a circle,
04:27so you just have to be who you are and which you are.
04:31And neo-soul is having its comeback.
04:33You know what I'm saying?
04:34So a lot of the rap songs have R&B on it.
04:38A lot of the rap songs have the neo-soul on it
04:41because it gives it that touch.
04:43So yeah, neo-soul is coming back, definitely.
04:46You performed at Backwoods and Bonfires.
04:50Nice.
04:50Yes.
04:50How was that?
04:51You know what?
04:52It was a great experience.
04:54I loved the stage.
04:55I loved the crowd.
04:56Was it hot?
04:57Yes, it was very hot.
04:59But it was a great experience and being able to meet new people.
05:03I got some great networking and connections.
05:05So it was all worth the time and energy.
05:08Was that your first time performing there?
05:10Yes, for them, yes.
05:11Yes.
05:11Nice.
05:12Would you go back?
05:12Yes, I probably would do it differently.
05:15I think that some things probably would need to get better when it comes to the business side.
05:21But other than that, yes, it's a good place to be.
05:23So you've been singing for a while.
05:27Wow.
05:27Yes.
05:28What do you say kept you going through the times where you felt like this is moved the
05:32way I wanted to move or it's not doing what I wanted to do?
05:35I had to tell myself that this is not the end.
05:38You're going to get some no's.
05:40You're going to get some disappointments.
05:42And I had to really find myself because a lot of times people want to put you in their genre.
05:49They want you to sing a certain way, something that is being heard.
05:53They do that with you.
05:54Yeah.
05:55So I have to.
05:56I had to find myself.
05:58And once I found myself and stayed neo, then everything was great.
06:03How do you stay authentic in an era where everything is like, you got to go viral?
06:08Well, I just be me.
06:10I don't worry about whether or not someone likes me or not.
06:13I just continue to do because just like it's a million people that don't like you, it's
06:16about another million that does.
06:18Yeah.
06:19Tell people about your song, Guitar.
06:21How did that song come about?
06:23Guitar is definitely a cliche, right?
06:27So it's just very clean, but it's very seductive in a way.
06:30So it's all about the energy and love that you have with someone else.
06:35You know, I'm very deep into what I'm into.
06:39And at that point, guitar is my favorite guitar.
06:42Guitar is my favorite instrument, excuse me.
06:45But love is also.
06:47So just putting both of those dynamics together, then you get the actual song.
06:52Because I only had the chorus.
06:54Like I heard the beat.
06:55I had the chorus.
06:56I went in the studio and just dropped the lyrics and the verses off the top of my head.
07:02And I'm very great at that.
07:04You seem like a very spiritual person.
07:05Is that accurate?
07:06Yeah.
07:07How does that play into your music?
07:09I write, a lot of my songs you'll hear a lot of astrology.
07:12That's where my new album is coming out, August the 22nd.
07:16Pisces.
07:16Which is called The Year of the Pisces, yes.
07:18Got you.
07:19Okay, talk to me about that album.
07:21That album, of course, it drops on August the 22nd.
07:24You really get the authentic me.
07:26I get to really show a lot of sides of my talent that I wasn't able to.
07:31Mm-hmm.
07:32And I'm very excited about it.
07:34I've been talking about this album for about two years now.
07:36How long have you been working on this project?
07:38Probably about three years, I have.
07:40I was going to jump out probably about a year and a half ago.
07:43But it wasn't, I didn't feel right.
07:46Okay.
07:46So I said I would rather wait, make sure I do what I need to do, and come back out
07:50strong.
07:51And I'm ready now.
07:53Why is it black?
07:53Or is it just kind of like you just had personal issues going on?
07:57Well, of course, personal life.
07:58Everybody's had personal issues.
08:00Mm-hmm.
08:00But I wanted to make sure that it sounded and it gave the energy that it needed to give.
08:05Nice.
08:05You know, so, and I'm ready for it now.
08:08I'm ready.
08:09Now, I'm going to ask this.
08:10It's a weird question, but I'm going to ask this.
08:11How many tracks on the project?
08:13I know a lot of people like to do, you know, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12.
08:17How many?
08:18Actually, I think it's about 14 songs on there.
08:20Okay.
08:20Um, I do have some, um, some surprises.
08:24I have some interloops and I also have, um, it touches on some songs on the next album
08:30that's on there.
08:31Gotcha.
08:32Um, but it's also double sided because the Pisces is two fish.
08:35Oh, that's...
08:35So I give you the dark side of me and I also give you the sweet side of me.
08:40So you, you get all those different types.
08:42So Toy, like we got closer and guitar.
08:45Yeah.
08:45They're two different things.
08:46Yes.
08:47They're going to get that on there.
08:48For sure.
08:48What do you want people to take away from your album?
08:51Elevation.
08:52Knowing that it's someone else out here that feels the same thing that they feel.
08:57Mm-hmm.
08:57Um, knowing to just keep going.
08:59Mm-hmm.
09:00Um, and just inspiration.
09:02Just be yourself.
09:03Nice.
09:04Be yourself.
09:04LaToy Couture, appreciate you for stopping in and talking with me.
09:07The album's dropping when?
09:08August the 22nd.
09:10August the 22nd.
09:11And, uh, tell people where they can follow you out on all your socials.
09:14Uh, well, of course I'm on Instagram.
09:15I'm on Facebook.
09:17It's, um, my name is LaToy Couture and that's L-A-T-O-I-C-O-U-T-U-R
09:23-E.
09:24Of course you can stop by PJP Entertainment.
09:28Um, and you can see all of my songs, different information about me.
09:31And of course on YouTube.
09:33So come on over.
09:34LaToy Couture Showtime, Lazar.
09:36It's 105 when the bounce.
09:37Peace.
09:38Yeah.
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